Like you mentioned there is the worst price point into because if you said two grand well that's easier because you go we'll go let's advise you just go. And get a fit in um or or at least get a set that's you know gonna last for a little bit longer again so it is from me. But it's it's not for me so at the weekend one of my good friends mike sent me a text and i'm going to read it out um because it really it's something we've just touched on before because it was a good mate. Or wanted to kind of give a good answer to it really actually got me thinking and i think you know you could possibly help with this as well. So basically he said out the blue um how are you doing i need some advice okay okay. So i went i'm all good and give some context how is this a mate from school. So i went to university with mike um he's not a golfer he um works in london he's got a good job he's 28 29 so um he wants to get into golf that's where it's going. So he said i'm gonna ask my mum. And for some clubs from the next.
Birthday thing is next.
Month literally just a starter set. But no idea what i should be getting whether i need to be measured up. Or get a certain size except i'm a complete novice which obviously i kind of knew all of that anyway well it knows getting some clubs but knew he was obviously never played golf he said we'll also look at getting some lessons when you know things open up et cetera what the hell do i do right. So i then.
Said okay my first question would be your budget because you've got it if he says a hundred quid it says 20 grand it's you know she said i'd say up to about 500 pounds okay. So um something to get started with so it was almost the worst price could hear that because 200 quid i know where i'm pointing him 1500 quid no one pointed him 500 is a good amount of money. But it's hard one so i had a quick look round um and i found a full set of rife packages packaged on american golf 500 quid right four nine nine do you look good all right yeah yeah right handed there'll be no custom fitting as far as i know now i know joking aside i had some pros. And cons to custom fitting but mike's quite about six foot two so he's not like a giant but he you know we might find the standard event a bit short and also i've always found that package sets are quite short with yeah. And very they might say regular very flexible so i looked at that i thought well you know it it it takes a box in the sense he would have everything he'd have bag putter wedges everything it's brand new no one's ever touched you can take the wrappers off that lovely experience. And rife as we know was a great brand. For putters years ago i think the package sets are they're all right. But they're not gonna be amazing so i sent him that but the downside is they're not custom fit it's gonna be stock length they're not gonna be the best quality etcetera. But then.
I said. But you know if you're happy to get second hand i could point you over to golf but i could almost build you a set i think it would be really good. For you and i think he was open to that. But then.
The downside i understand is that although we might get a ping g15 set of irons to him who's a non-golfer they're gonna be old they're gonna be a bit battered they're gonna be dirty yeah he i know the great. But he's not gonna experience so then.
I showed him last thing before i want to hear your advice i showed him the uh callaway edge set yeah sold out in steel following them haven't they exactly you can get them on costco website with graphite shafts like 5 30.. But again she's quite tall and quite strong i thought probably the the steel ones are going to be better. For him which are sold out. And also no bag where does he turn where do these go a lot of listeners might not need this advice because they themselves we have decent gear up. But if you've got friends exactly so what do we do rick yeah is it. And like you mentioned there is the worst price point into because if he said two grand well that's easier because you go get we'll go let's advise you to go. And get a fit in um or or at least get a set that's you know going to last. For a little bit longer i think. For 500 pound is very challenging. And you you probably do need to go into it with the mindset that you're probably going to get a set that's only going to last you a year. And what i mean by that it's not the quality of the set that's only going to last you a year it's the fact that you can you're going to have a set. And then.
You'll learn your craft within that year you might have lessons with them you might play your first couple of rounds of golf with them whatever it may be and then.
You'll have a better idea because i feel like when you look at a sport from the outside you know nothing about it like zero as soon as you step foot into that sport though you learn things so quickly so in it wouldn't surprise me if mike in about three or four months when he's get going he'll know loads of things because there's. So much information out there and you know he'll know what brands to look out for he'll know buddy bryson deshambles you in a four-year-old driver like he'll know all these things but it's like say it's that first step in um so i think as long as you go in the idea that okay you just need a set that's going to get you going. For me yes secondhand is phenomenal. And i think this is where a service needs to be put in place okay. So i'm kind of giving an answer here to giving an answer here but might not be an actual solution just yet why is there not a service that helps golfers like this. So let's say golfbidder like i mean i don't know if they do i don't think do imagine if you could actually ring them up. And say this is my budget this is what i need. And they can almost put a set together. For you um because where else do you go like it's. So hard and like that's what i was saying before. But about the budget because it sounds silly if you had a lot less money you said you had 300 quid. Or 200 quid i just pointed them in that direction of a package set there is a phase no disrespects those clubs that's what you can get that yeah it gives you everything go out. But 500 is a good amount of money it's just hard to i know. And like i said as well there's something i know a lot of golfers who like the game know what the game appreciate secondhand stuff. And that's that's the way but there's something you know for your birthday it's nice to have something that's it's never been touched isn't it and that's the thing imagine being bored and no disrespect to any like again you step in front into a new sport. And you are getting a secondhand whatever yeah it doesn't feel quite as special does it. And like i understand people do that. And that's a great way of starting i wish i had a full answer for you it's hard isn't it that's why i wanted to ask you yeah i wish i wish there was a way of just being able to say i mean let's just. For a minute go back go back in time and go back into my kind of professional days what what i'd probably say to start things off is maybe don't jump straight into clubs. But maybe jump into a lesson start things off so let's say let's say michaelis 500 pound budget okay it's all right well why not let's start off with a hundred pound. And go and have some lessons first yeah. And typically lessons you can you can use the golf clubs there you feel like you're getting something new you're getting some experience. And then.
Also lean on the professionals advice there because they'll know your game just a little bit better than somebody who doesn't know your game at all so at least they can point you in somewhat of a direction um the callaway edge set's probably the one though if you can get all of them like that's what i said. So have a look on costco etc the callaway edge because we know the putter is basically a standard obviously the irons are great the driver wasn't that bad it wasn't far off a real callaway drive well not real. But well then.
His last point then.
Should more brands come out with a set like a 500 set when i own taylormade yes that's what i could do that could be my first move in fact that could be the whole shift of the company yeah because the thing is i i think yeah well i sometimes i've advised people to do before is buy a package set get into it. And then.
If you love golf and you want a new putter then.
Slowly replace the putter you know replace the wedges replace the driver but then.
The downside in this day and age now is stuff is. So expensive so if you buy a package for 500 quid and then.
Six months later when you put it a run of the mile odyssey is like 170 now in it. Or something so you're paying another third essentially if not more of you of your cost of your first set to get a new putter you've so it's hard you can get the set on ebay the callaway costco set um could be a way to go then.
Um bit of a conundrum that wasn't it yeah there's no perfect answer to it which is annoying there isn't do you want a couple of um facebook questions.
